Hot Spell

One of Shirley Booth's four starring motion pictures, HOT SPELL is the least remembered, least acclaimed of the quartet but nevertheless is a quite engrossing drama with yet another brilliant performance from it's star. Quite obviously derivative of Tennessee Williams and William Inge dramas, nevertheless the movie has much merit of it's own.

Shirley Booth stars as a New Orleans housewife who lives in denial. She has a lousy, cheating husband (Anthony Quinn) and three rather selfish, not particularly loving children in their teens and early twenties but in her eyes they are all one happy family. She does acknowledge something in amiss though and frequently pines for the days they lived in rural Louisiana in the (fictional) town of New Paris back when the children were younger. Eventually Shirley's fantasy world comes crashing down and opens her eyes not only to the present but to the past.

Shirley Booth is brilliant in this movie, her most poignant screen turn next to her Oscar-winning COME BACK LITTLE SHEBA. She also has a wonderfully comic scene though with neighbor Eileen Heckart (great performance) as a local gal who tries to loosen her up, relax and have a beer and say "hot damn". Of the three children, Earl Holliman stands out as the hardened elder son who sees his father Quinn all too clearly and hates him with a controlled passion yet fails to acknowledge his own flaws. Shirley MacLaine is not particularly good as the burgeoning floozy daughter and Anthony Quinn is a bit tiresome as pig of a husband but Shirley Booth is always worth seeing and this engrossing little drama is a fine showcase for her.

It's a shame that Hot Spell wasn't given a chance on the stage; the screenplay was based off an unproduced play. The script is fantastic. Lonnie Coleman's work would have been wonderful in front of a live audience. All the elements to a great play are present: a dysfunctional family, infidelity, tragedy, young lovers, and of course, a hot, Southern summer.

In Hot Spell, Shirley Booth is preparing a birthday dinner for her husband Anthony Quinn. She's baked a chocolate cake, bought presents for each of her three children to give him, and takes lessons from her neighbor and friend Eileen Heckart on how to turn her husband's head. The audience can see the writing on the wall from the opening scene, and the tragedy squeezes pity for her out of every pore. The family dinner does not go as she planned. Quinn is having an affair with another woman, as we find out in the opening scene. He fights at the dinner table with his son and leaves the house to meet his mistress before the cake is cut.

As depressing as the story is, it really is a quintessential play, so it's expected to be sad. The story is great, but the acting is where the film really shines. Everyone does a spectacular job, but for some reason, this film was completely ignored by the 1959 awards season. Booth is heartbreaking and incredibly easy to root for. Anyone watching her denial of her husband's affair will cry in sympathy. Quinn is fantastic. It would be easy to play his character as merely "the bad guy" but he gives so many layers to his performance, showing the audience his frustration and deep feelings. Shirley MacLaine must have been on a roll in 1958; this same year she gave a career-best performance in Some Came Running, and in Hot Spell, she's truly heartbreaking. Any girl who's ever been in love will cry alongside her and feel her humiliation deeply.

Those who like to go to the theater will be in a position to appreciate Hot Spell. If you like lighter films, you probably won't like it, but for those who aren't faint of heart, it's a very good movie.

"Hot Spell" is an extremely painful movie to watch....so if you are feeling depressed you might want to think about seeing something else. The story is about a family that is a total wreck due to a petulent jerk of a husband....and the wife tries desperately to convince everyone, especially herself, that she has a good life.

The story begins with Alma (Shirley Booth) running about town meeting with her grown children to organize a birthday dinner for her husband, John Henry (Anthony Quinn). It's obvious that she is desperately trying to make sure everything is perfect. Once John Henry arrives home, however, it's obvious he's a disease....an ugly, selfish jerk who enjoys destroying those around him and cheating on his wife...because it's all about him. It's truly painful seeing the man emotionally mistreat them all...and his wife, through it all, keeps a stiff upper lip and convinces herself that life with this jerk is great. Her kids, also, are part of this game...deluding each other into thinking they have a functional family. You know that sooner or later, something's gotta give.

In some ways, "Hot Spell" is similar to "Death of a Salesman". Both are about men with an inflated view of themselves and who represent the worst of fathers...a man who is emotionally stunted and selfish. Watching him and the way his family reels as a result of his whims is pretty sad to see. And, like "Death of a Salesman", an excellent portrait with some wonderful dialog....though painful throughout and draining. Because of the excellent writing and some amazing actors, it's a very good film....painful...but good. And, it's so painfully realistic...I never want to see this movie again!!

"It takes an awful lot of energy to fool yourself"...and this pretty much sums up this film.

I have a tape of this film that I haven't seen in about 8 years. Therefore, plot details have escaped me. But, in short, it's a rather sad tale of a small, small-town family whose patriarch, played by Anthony Quinn, has a mid-life crisis and philanders about while his sad, lonely wife, played with typical sensitivity and pity by Shirley Booth, sits at home, overlooking his transgressions. I remember enjoying the whole film, including Shirley MacLaine's turn as their daughter. However, one scene which stands out takes place between Eileen Eckhart and Shirley Booth. It's in the middle of the afternoon, and Eckhart teaches Booth how to drink in, I believe, Booth's kitchen. It is quietly HYSTERICAL, and proves how wonderful Eckhart was as an actress. This scene could have gone on another five minutes, it was just so entertaining.

It's a shame Shirley Booth never got the high acclaim she deserved. She took a simple and somewhat uninspired script and made it work. The best thing about this movie is in the beginning you actually feel sorry for the Shirley Booth character, but the way Ms Booth plays the role by the end of the movie you get the feeling the character deserves what she got she is so pathetic. Nevertheless it is an excellent film SOLEY do to the outstanding acting ability of Shirley Booth. Other actors in the movie do an adequate job but it the interaction with Shirley Booth's character that makes them stand out. The cake seen is the highlight of film as her character descends into self pity